origami

American  

[awr-i-gah-mee] / ˌɔr ɪˈgɑ mi /

noun

origamis plural

1. the traditional Japanese art or technique of folding paper into a variety of decorative or representational forms, as of animals or flowers.

2. an object made by origami.

---

origami British  

/ ˌɒrɪˈɡɑːmɪ /

noun

1. the art or process, originally Japanese, of paper folding

---

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• origamis
  plural

Etymology

Origin of origami

1920–25; < Japanese, equivalent to ori fold + -gami, combining form of kami paper

Explanation

Have you ever folded a square sheet of paper into the shape of a crane? That's origami, the art of paper folding. Some origami is incredibly complicated and takes a long time to learn, while even small children can easily create simpler origami designs. Every piece of finished origami, whether it's a dog or an umbrella or a box, begins with a sheet of paper and specific folding techniques. Origami comes from two Japanese words, ori, "fold," and kami, "paper."

Example Sentences

Right beside the main entrance, a sculpture of an origami deer cast in concrete hangs suspended on thick straps from a crane.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

Earlier studies in tumor-bearing mice demonstrated that these vaccines produced stronger immune responses than versions without the DNA origami structure.

From Science Daily • Mar. 17, 2026

Moneesh Upmanyu at Northeastern University in the US, and one of his PhD students, were awarded a patent last year for a design that uses origami to make strong but foldable wing structures.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026

Takaichi made cookies and origami animals for the office staff, said Ramlow, who keeps two paper cranes Takaichi made and hangs them on a Christmas tree every year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

Until now, I’d constructed my existence carefully, tucking and folding every loose and disorderly bit of it, as if building some tight and airless piece of origami.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama